Thursday, 5 April 2012

Yesterday was a very tiring but awesome day. After school, I went to lunch with one of my closest friends to this restaurant/french café called "Les omelettes" in the city centre of Bologna. I had never been there before and now it's one of my favorite restaurants! You can choose from a large variety of sandwiches made of french bread, omolettes, salads, pastas... It was soo yummy!!

Tuesday, 3 April 2012

Today I enjoyed a cup of strawberries and pineapple, some of my favourite fruits

Do you know how good they are for your health?

Health benefits of strawberries

Diet

One cup of strawberries contains over 13% of the RDA of dietary ﬁber, yet only 43 calories. The dietary ﬁber in strawberries helps to keep digestion regular, as well as lowers blood pressure and curbs overeating.

Antioxidants

Strawberries contain a chemical compound called phenols. Anthocyanin, a particular phenol abundantly found in strawberries, lends the rich red color to the fruit. Though anthocyanin is known to have antioxidant properties within the fruit, it is debated as to whether the antioxidant agents in anthocyanin-rich foods can be absorbed into the body once digested. Fortunately, however, it is known that when anthocyanin-rich foods are consumed, the body's uric acid levels increase, which serves as an antioxidant agent.

Anti-Inﬂammatory

The phenols in strawberries also ﬁght against many inﬂammatory disorders, such as osteoarthritis, asthma and atherosclerosis, by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) in the same way that the drugs aspirin and ibuprofen do. Strawberries, however, do not carry unwanted side effects like stomach and intestinal bleeding

Anti-Cancer

The combination of antioxidant and anti-inﬂammatory agents found in strawberries is well-known to ﬁght against the onset of many different forms of cancer. Thanks to the vitamin C, folate, and the ﬂavonoids quercetin and kaempferol that they also contain, strawberries are a delicious defense against potentially cancerous cells.

Healthy Eyes

The Archives of Opthalmology recently published a study in which three or more servings of strawberries (and other fruits) per day can decrease the possibility of contracting age-related macular degeneration by over one-third.

Vitamin C

One cup of strawberries contains an incredible 136% of the RDA of vitamin C, an effective antioxidant that can help lower blood pressure, ensure a healthy immune system, and ward off the development of age-related ocular diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration.

Manganese

One cup of strawberries contains 21% of manganese, an essential nutrient that acts as a powerful antioxidant and anti-inﬂammatory agent. By increasing the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), the enzyme responsible for protecting mitochonrdria exposed to oxygen, manganese not only helps to ﬁght the battle against free radicals and oxidative stress, but also lessens cellular inﬂammation -- another cause of numerous cardiovascular diseases.

Bone Health

Manganese is also great for the bones, helping in bone building and maintaining proper bone structure. The potassium, vitamin K, and magnesium in strawberries are also important for bone health

Health Benefits of Pineapple

Vitamins And Minerals

Its nutrients include calcium, potassium, fiber, and vitamin C. It is low in fat and cholesterol.

Bone Health

One of the benefits of pineapple is that it helps to build healthy bones. Pineapples are rich in manganese, a trace mineral that is needed for your body to build bone and connective tissues. Just one cup of pineapple provides 73% of the daily recommended amount of manganese. The benefits of pineapple can effect the growth of bones in young people and the strengthening of bones in older people.

Helping healing from colds and coughs

The benefits of pineapple when you have a cold or cough are the same as the benefits of orange juice, but there is an additional benefit of pineapple. Bromelain, which is found in pineapples, has been found to help suppress coughs and loosen mucus.

It lessens risk of hypertension

Hypertension occurs when too much force is exerted on the artery walls while the blood circulates. One of the best ways to combat this is to infuse a high amount of potassium plus a small amount of sodium in your diet to lower blood pressure. Pineapples are the perfect for hypertension because a cup of pineapple contains about 1 mg of sodium and 195 mg of potassium.

Diet

Eating pineapple can highly cut down sweet cravings because of its natural sweetness, saving a lot of sugar-induced calories. Incorporating a lot of pineapple in meals will also help a lot in weight loss because are very fulfilling.

Eye health

Pineapples protect against age-related eye problems because it is rich in antioxidants.

It fights a lot of diseases

They are very rich in Vitamin C, which protects our bodies from free radicals that attack our healthy cells. Lots of free radicals in the body can lead to major diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and various cancers. Vitamin C is considered the most important water-soluble anti-oxidant that fights against disease-inducing substances within the body. It is also an excellent fighter against flu and a great enhancer of the immune system.

It cures constipation and irregular bowel movement

Pineapple is rich in fiber, making it effective in curing constipation and irregular bowel movement.

It keeps your skin healthy

Pineapple contains enzymes that make skin elastic, improve skin hydration, and remove damaged and dead cells. Thus, it helps us achieve a clear and glowing complexion. The enzymes in pineapples also fight free-radical damage and can reduce age spots and fine lines.

Sunday, 1 April 2012

This is what you'll need, you just have to mix everything together except the fruits and the chocolate and add those at the end when everything else is well mixed. You can change the quantity and the kind of fruit to your taste. Bake at 180° for 30 minutes, to check if the cake is ready stick a knife inside the cake, if the kife gets wet, the cake is not ready yet. Enjoy your snack!

Thursday, 29 March 2012

Today I would like to talk about my favorite makeup palette: Naked Palette by Urban Decay. I use it almost every day, the colors are just awesome, they are intense, shimmery and they last a long time. The brush is very good too, it has two sides, one for the lid and one for the crease. Have you ever tried it?